Hosted on the grounds of Kabul’s Bayat Media Center (BMC), from October 1st to October 5th, The 2018 Bayat-Starkey Afghanistan Hearing Care Mission provided more than 1,240 Afghans affected by deafness or hearing impairment with The Gift of Hearing, through the provision of hearing aids as well as hearing assessment and treatment services.

The 2018 Afghanistan Hearing Care Mission was launched with an October 1st Dedication Ceremony, hosted by Dr. Ehsanollah Bayat, Co-Chairman of the Bayat Foundation and Chairman of The Bayat Group. Speaking to an audience of Afghan government officials, Starkey Hearing Foundation partners, NGO representatives and volunteers from The Bayat Group and Bayat Foundation, Dr. Bayat thanked the audience for their “fierce determination to deliver the Gift of Hearing—the gift of connection to a better life—to the thousands of patients and their extended families we help today.”

The Dedication Ceremony was attended by a number of senior government officials, and civic leaders, including Dr. Ferozuddin Feroz, Minister of Public Health, Mr. Nader Naderi, Chief of Independent Administrative Reform, Mrs. Zohra Yusuf Daoud, Adviser to the First Lady of Afghanistan, and Dr. Kenneth M. Holland, President of The American University of Afghanistan.

The 2018 Afghanistan Hearing Care Mission is the fifth in a series of joint missions by the Bayat Foundation and the Starkey Hearing Foundation, which since 2014, have provided The Gift of Hearing, and vital hearing aftercare assistance to more than 7,000 Afghans living in every region of the nation.

Throughout the 2018 Afghanistan Hearing Care Mission, each individual seeking treatment for deafness or hearing impairment was examined by members of the Bayat-Starkey Hearing Care Teams. Each Bayat-Starkey Hearing Care Team is comprised of an international group of Audiologists, Hearing Care Specialists and highly trained volunteers from The Bayat Group and The Bayat Foundation.

Interacting with every patient in a caring, compassionate and effective manner, members of each Bayat-Starkey Hearing Care Team delivered high quality hearing care to every patient by utilizing a rigorous patient assessment and treatment process.

The intake process included recording vital statistics of each patient, conducting a thorough examination of the ears and auditory system, and also, cleaning the ear and auditory system. After cleaning the ears and auditory system, each patient was fitted with a set of ear molds—clear, wear-resistant plastic discs used to house the hearing aids that were provided without cost to each patient.

After completing intake, volunteers escorted each patient into the treatment area, where the Bayat-Starkey hearing care team, together with specially trained volunteers, fit each patient with the hearing devices that empowered each patient—many for the first time in their lives—to use the precious, powerful gift of hearing, sound and their voices to connect with the world.

“In four years, from 2014 to 2018, The Bayat Foundation, together with the Starkey Hearing Foundation—our partners in compassion and caring—has provided The Gift of Hearing to more than 7,000 Afghans,” said Dr. Ehsanollah Bayat, the Co-Founder of The Bayat Foundation and the Chairman of The Bayat Group.

“In Kabul, Herat, Mazar, Jalalabad—in so many cities and villages throughout Afghanistan—The Bayat Foundation and The Starkey Hearing Foundation are providing Afghans with Hearing, Healing, and above all, better Health and Hope for a better life,” Dr. Bayat said.

“When we restore a person’s hearing, we help them connect with their families, their communities and the wider world,” said Mrs. Fatema Bayat, the Co-Founder of The Bayat Foundation. “With every new mission, our ability to provide Afghans with Hearing and Hope continues to grow. Together with our partners from the Starkey Hearing Foundation, in the years to come, we’re determined to help even more Afghans receive the Gift of Hearing and the gift of connection to a healthier and happier life.”

About the Bayat Foundation:Since 2005, the US-based Bayat Foundation, a 501 c (3) charitable organization, has promoted the well-being of the Afghan people. Founded and directed by Ehsanollah Bayat and Fatema Bayat, the Foundation has contributed to more than 300 projects dedicated to improving the quality of life for the youth, women, poor, and elderly of Afghanistan; including construction of 13 maternity hospitals that have now treated over 2,000,000 mothers and babies.

Projects have included the construction of new facilities and sustainable infrastructure in needy regions, and the promotion of health, education, economic, and cultural programs. In addition to his charitable initiatives, Ehsanollah Bayat founded Afghan Wireless (AWCC) in 2002, which was the first GSM wireless and Internet Service Provider in Afghanistan, and later established Ariana Radio and Television Network (ATN), which includes Ariana Radio (FM 93.5). For more information, please email info@bayatfoundation.org.

About Starkey Hearing FoundationStarkey Hearing Foundation, a public charity co-founded by William F. Austin and Tani Austin, gives the gift of hearing to people in need in the U.S. and around the world. Disabling hearing loss affects more than 466 million people, including 34 million children, yet many do not have access to the hearing devices that improve lives and promote understanding. Since origination, Starkey Hearing Foundation has provided more than 1.1 million hearing health care services to patients. Starkey Hearing Foundation focuses on hearing health missions, hearing loss education and hearing aid recycling. Connect with Starkey Hearing Foundation on Facebook and Twitter, or visit www.starkeyhearingfoundation.org.